September 13, 2017 5:48pm EDTSeptember 13, 2017 5:30pm EDTThe England attacker has been on the periphery during the Red Devils's positive start to the season but he's happy to bide his time for now

Kris Voakes

Published on Sep. 13, 2017

Sep. 13, 2017

Jesse Lingard is confident Manchester United can continue their excellent start to the new season, with the form of his close friend Marcus Rashford one of the keys to them keeping their run going.

United currently sit top of the Premier League and returned to the Champions League on Tuesday with a convincing 3-0 win over Swiss outfit Basel, with Lingard and Rashford both coming off the bench late on.

And the England wide-man is happy to wait it out as a substitute so long as the team are winning.

“For now it’s about taking each game as it comes and we’re on a hot streak at the moment. If we can continue our form in the cups and in the league it should go fine this season,” Lingard told reporters.

“There’s a lot of games, especially this month, so you’re always going to get your chance. I’ve just got to be patient and when you come on the field you want to make a difference.

“Of course it’s always going to be difficult if you’re not in the team but as long as you train hard there’s a lot of games coming up and you know you’ll get a chance. You learn a lot and you want to keep training hard and like I said you will get your chance, it’s all about taking it.”

In the meantime he is happy for Rashford to grab the glory, with the striker having bagged his third goal in successive games against Basel.

“[His form] it’s excellent,” added Lingard. “If he can carry this form on now the rest of the season it will help us a lot. He’s going to stay grounded because he’s a grounded kid.

“He’s got a lot bigger, a lot quicker, and he’s focusing on goals and assists which is the main aim.”

Up next United welcome Everton to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday, with former skipper Wayne Rooney making his first return to the stadium since his summer move back to Goodison Park.

Lingard says he learned so much alongside Rooney and he is sure that the 31-year-old will get a tremendous reception from the home fans.

“His experience in games [was key], especially when you’re young and if it’s only 1-0 it’s always hard to manage a game, and he knew what to do at times especially towards the end of games. You learn every day off him.

“He’s always going to be recognised as a legend at the club and he’ll get a great reception when he comes back.”

Romelu Lukaku’s goal in the win over Basel was his sixth in six games for United since his £75 million summer switch from the Toffees, and Lingard says his style gives the side a new edge in attack.

“He holds the ball up well, he runs in behind which gives the guy on the ball another option… He’s very strong in the box, he’s very good with his head, so he gives a lot of options for the man on the ball.

“I think Rom’s a really nice guy, he’s got his feet on the ground and he doesn’t let anything faze him. As long as he keeps scoring the goals he’s going to make the headlines.”